Under One Roof
by the-futile
Summary: Draco can't stand to see Bellatrix torturing Hermione, so he apparates her far away where she'll be safe. However, he cannot come to terms with why, so he and Hermione are constantly at each others throats. The two must learn to live together to ensure both of their safety. But how can the two live together when they've hated each other from the moment they've met? (Set during DH)
1. Chapter 1

Her now rather large brown eyes followed the glimmering blade as Bellatrix slowly walked toward her. The next thing Hermione knew, the blade connected with her skin and she felt the jagged edge of draw a vertical line on her arm. Hermione screamed over and over again, wanting to pull her arm away, but forcing herself not to for fear of the blade hitting an artery. It seemed like an eternity before the blade lifted from her arm and Bellatrix was thrown across the room. The crumpled witch blinked her eyes violently, but couldn't see anything except for a mess of white, blonde hair.

"Hermione!" Ron screamed then a crack, and her and the familiar blonde boy apparated away.

As soon as Draco's knees connected with the damp, muddy ground, he sank forward. His breath heaved harshly out of his mouth and his hands started to turn red with cold. It was raining, it was dark, and he had just apparated away from everything he knew because he couldn't stomach another second of it. He stared at the scrapes on the back of his hand as they sunk into the dirt. Days before, his own father had thrown him into the wall, tired of his reluctance to follow their cause. If he wasn't afraid for his very life, he would laugh at the irony of seeing mud and blood mixed on his own skin.

Hermione lay remotely unconscious now. The pain was too much for her to bare. Her tears blinded her eyes, even when she tried to blink them away. She was cold, tired, and losing blood. Sobbing onto the ground, she attempted to roll herself on to her stomach, failing miserably.

As soon as he heard her move, he turned around wildly, scrambling away from her. He'd just done the most foolish thing he could've dreamt of, and hearing her cry only amplified his fear. He knew they were somewhere in Scotland but the location was vague, and they needed to move quickly. He approached her as slowly as he could bear to, wiping his hands on his sleeves. "It's not safe here." It was all the warning he was willing to give her, and she really should consider herself lucky that he even bothered to give her a chance to prepare herself. He reached for her good arm and tried to pull her into a position in which they could apparate away again.

She heard a voice. His voice. The voice that mocked her relentlessly for six years. And he saved her. He was the reason she wasn't laying on the floor, Bellatrix still torturing her. She couldn't see him all too well, but she could still make out his platinum hair. Upon hearing what he had said, she knew what was about to happen. Hermione bit her lip, preparing for the new wave of pain about to come her way.

He whispered "sorry" somewhere between the 4th and 5th apparition points, all jumping around Britain and its neighboring countries. He couldn't travel much longer, but he needed to lose any trail that he had left magically. Finally, they arrived in a dark corner of British countryside. He let go of her as soon as he landed again, dizzy and breathless. It was raining here, too, and to the south there was a small building waiting for them.

Hermione continuously sobbed each time the apparated to a new place. Once Draco finally let her go, she knew they were finally done. She sighed in relief and tried brushing the wet hair out of her face, but failed. It was still raining and freezing, and she was losing more and more blood.

After a minute of regaining himself, Draco turned to face her again. At first he thought he'd splinched her, but he calmed a little when he realized it was just the wound his...aunt had given her. He shuddered and approached her again. "I can heal it, if you'll let me. I'm assuming you don't know how yourself. It was a cursed blade."

Hearing his voice yet again, she focused on it. Heal it? Yes. Unfortunately, nothing but a sob escaped from her mouth. Vigorously shaking her head yes, she turned her arm over so that the wounds were facing upright. She bit her lip again, harder this time, trying to drown out the pain in her arm.

He nodded and pulled her gently underneath a nearby tree. He cleaned her arm of the dirt, and then he muttered a long spell that made her arm glow blue. He knew it would feel as though the curse was being suctioned out of the wound, and he looked away when a sharp hiss escaped her mouth. That meant it was over, at least. He twitched his wand again and a bandage wrapped loosely around the cut, which was now an angry scar. He looked at her eyes sharply, following them back to the building. Shelter was their best option for survival right now. He grabbed her arm as gently as he could, at the elbow, and took off for the house.


	2. Chapter 2

Draco was glad to find it as deserted as he thought it would be - it was supposed to have been a honeymoon location for Bellatrix and her husband when they were first married. He couldn't think of a place that got less use. He let go of her arm as soon as they walked through the door and began to cast protective spells that would cover an acre of land. He was already so exhausted, and it bothered him to see that she wasn't trying to do more. Tortured or not, she had been running with Potter for the better part of a year, and he thought she'd know how to help with this part. Regardless, he finished and collapsed into a dusty wooden chair by the hallway.

Hermione caught herself as Draco let her go. Feeling much better, but still somewhat lethargic, she pulled her hair off of her face and sat on a chair in the corner of the room while Draco cast protective charms. Once he finished, he collapsed and Hermione winced. He looked so worn out, so much older than he rightfully should, and she felt for him. Sighing, the witch reluctantly pulled herself to her feet and found the bedroom. Searching the closet, she found replacement sheets, stripped the bed of the old ones, and neatly made the bed. Once she had finished, she made her way back to her chair in the corner and stared at the ceiling.

Oddly enough, he was staring at the ceiling too. It was better, he thought, than trying to start conversation with someone who he'd essentially just kidnapped. At least she wasn't screaming at him yet. He was too worked up on adrenaline and fear to sleep, so after a while he suddenly stood up and walked around the house. The downstairs consisted of a small living room, kitchen and bath, and the upstairs housed one bedroom, one bath and, of all things, a library. Great, he thought, at least they'd be entertained while they waited for someone to find and kill them. He went downstairs slowly, not wanting to mention the single bedroom to Granger unless he absolutely had to. Instead he searched the kitchen for anything that was edible - if it was rotten, he could at least transfigure it into something that was good enough to eat.

Hermione kicked her shoes and socks off, which were soaking wet, and neatly placed them to the side. Her head ached and she was freezing, but there wasn't much she could do considering she was sitting in a house in the middle of nowhere with the boy who relentlessly tortured her for the past six years. She sat for another few minutes before wondering off once more. She headed for the bathroom this time, searching the closets. Grabbing a towel, she began to dry off her hair and slowly walked down the stairs.

Draco was muttering to himself in the kitchen, having cast a decent drying charm on his clothes. "Bread," he hissed to himself, wracking the shelves for containers, "piss-old, moldy bread is all they left in here. What am I supposed to do with this?"

Hermione heard Draco muttering from what she assumed to be the kitchen considering the background noise that could be heard. She stood in the door way and watched Draco search the drawers and cabinets.

He shot up again, and wondered briefly whether he'd ever stop jumping at her sudden appearance. "The water works, but there's almost no food. We're safe here." His voice sounded loud in this quiet place, and he hoped he wasn't scaring her. They'd both had enough to deal with tonight.

"M'not hungry anyways." Hermione muttered back, slinging her towel over her shoulder. "I'm going to take a shower then. If I leave my clothes out, could you dry them for me?" She asked before turning away.

"You don't know how?" he asked incredulously before he could stop himself. It was a long while since he'd had to try and be polite to someone.

"I'm perfectly capable of preforming simple spells." Hermione spat back. "I don't have a wand." She huffed. Running her hand through her hair, she began to turn away. "I'll leave them in the living room then." She stated as she began to walk up the stairs. "I made the bed for you." Hermione said reaching the top of the stairs and, heading for the bathroom. Quickly she undressed, wrapped herself in her towel, put her clothes on the living room table, and turned on the water, before finally hoping into the shower.

His eyes widened as she departed the room - so that's why she'd been so afraid, so unhelpful. He felt a twinge of something that made him feel badly for offending her but he shook it away. He went into the living room and dried her clothes instantly, hanging them by the fireplace to warm up just in case - his spells were getting less effective now that his adrenaline was wearing off. He didn't think he could last another second of being awake for the moment, and he fell asleep right there in front of the fireplace on the sofa. He didn't even hear her stirring around the place as she finished her shower.

Hermione soaked in the shower for a good half an hour before finally turning the steaming water off. Re-wrapping herself in her towel, she slipped out of the bathroom to grab her clothes. They were in front of the fire, keeping nice and warm. Hermione smiled slightly at the gesture and noticed Draco fast asleep. Grabbing her clothes, she quickly changed, exiting the bathroom and heading for the bedroom. Grabbing the blanket off of the bed, she quietly made her way back into the living room and covered Draco with the blanket. Once she had finished, she retired to the bedroom, since he wasn't using it, and as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was fast asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Draco woke up harshly, sensing danger. He was being restrained, obviously, since something was on top of him that was impeding some of his movement. He thrashed his arms and legs about for a second before waking more fully and realizing it was only a heavy blanket. Granger must have been feeling grateful last night, he thought. He was still expecting her to set in on him and scream at him for everything he'd ever done or said to make her life worse. He sank against the arm of the sofa and realized it was probably a lengthy list.

Hermione awoke a few hours later from a nightmare. The events with Bellatrix played over and over again, and the pain was the much more real. It was obvious she wasn't getting any more sleep tonight, so she headed toward the library, picked out a book, returned to the bedroom and began to read it. A little while later, she became thirsty so she retreated toward the kitchen, checking on Draco in the process. Quickly grabbing a glass of water, she retreated back up the stairs, only to find Draco awake this time. "Morning." She muttered from behind him.

He jumped again, and this time he wondered whether she was doing it on purpose. He turned against the back of the couch and frowned a little, nodding his head at her. "Morning." He noticed the book in her hand and smirked a little. Some things never changed.

The witch frowned when she saw him jump. "Would you like some water?" Hermione offered. She felt bad considering Draco did a whole hell of a lot for her last night and she didn't contribute too much.

He stared at her for a moment. He was always wary of kindness; it was a natural consequence of his upbringing. "I'm fine," he replied, sitting up a little straighter. "Are you feeling better?"

"Much." She said, setting her book and glass of water on the table and taking a seat on a chair in the room. "Thank you. For everything." Hermione said, watching Draco to see his reaction.

"Good. We need to talk about all of this," he started firmly, changing his tone altogether. "You can't communicate. With anyone. The risk of being found is too great, even if it means your friends know you've lived through this bloody mess. We're going to have to get food to survive, and eventually potion ingredients. I cannot stress enough, Granger, no one can know we are here."

"Understood." Hermione said, picking up her glass of water. "What I am to do without a wand? I'll be no help." The witch said before taking a large drink of water.

"You're already doing it," he said, motioning to the book she was holding. "You think those are Muggle books up on those shelves? We're going to need as much information as we can get our hands on if this is going to work." His mind was racing even as he spoke, every thought propelling him closer and closer to the memory that he made a decision to save her life at the worst possible time in his. "This isn't going to work at all," he groaned.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the comment about the books. She'd always been taunted for reading them as much as she did, but she saw that he was serious. "We'll make due." The witch said, pulling herself to her feet. "Don't always think so negatively."

He laughed humorlessly at her last comment. "Make due? You're without a wand, and we're both being searched for by every known Death Eater in the country! What could go wrong?" He flung his hands up into the air and strode off into the kitchen, suddenly eager to be away from her.

Glaring at the wizard as he walked away, Hermione picked her book up off of the table and headed toward the library. Hermione knew what he said was absolutely true, but she'd be through hell and back already and was determined to pull through. Making her way into the library, she pulled another book off of the shelf and sat in the corner so she could read undisturbed.

Eventually as he sat alone by the fire he realized he wanted to read too. His pride battled his impatience fiercely, but in the end impatience won, and he climbed the stairs to the small library on the upper floor. He didn't knock before entering, wanting to see if he made her jump in the same way that she did him.

Hermione's eyes lifted from the text on the book to the door when she heard it click open. She very briefly watched Draco before fixating her eyes back on her book. Pulling her feet up onto the chair with her, she curled into a small ball, reading as quickly as she could, looking for anything that could help the two of them.

He sat on the floor at the base of the shelves and picked through the case, growing more and more frustrated with the limited information it would offer. He supposed he should be thankful that someone even put books in there. Of course, the really useful ones lay locked away in his family's manor.

Finally finishing the book she was on, she quietly exited her chair, put the book back in it's proper space, and selected a new one. For the next few minutes, it was silent, but eventually the sound of Hermione's rumbling stomach broke it. She apologized quietly before she continued her reading.

"There's still bread in the kitchen," he muttered without looking up. He'd gone days without eating before, and one night without food would hardly be the least of his problems.

"Moldy bread." Hermione said scrunching her nose. "I'm fine. But we are eventually going to have to get food."

"I've transfigured it to normal bread, thanks," he retorted. "It's possible to transfigure it into edible things, you know. I'm surprised you don't know."

"Let me get right to that with the wand that I don't have in my possession." Hermione half snapped before closing her book. The witch promptly exited the library and headed down to the kitchen.

He chased her down the stairs, throwing his book down in the process. Finally, an argument, something familiar. "I meant that you could instruct me on how to turn food into more food!" He cried back. "I didn't exactly have time to study cooking spells while I was running away with you!"

Hermione snapped around to face the blonde wizard. "And you think I did?" Hermione asked throwing her arms in the air.

"You spent a year on the run with Potter!" He spat. "What were you doing then, staring at the walls?"

"Cooking spells weren't my number one priority at the time!" She yelled back, finally becoming enraged with him.

"You're telling me that you don't even know how to turn bloody molded bread into food? Can you do anything?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes, glaring at the wizard. Her hands balled into fists and she began to shake slightly. Grumbling, she pushed past him and stormed up the stairs, her empty stomach completely forgotten.

He let out a frustrated shout and flung himself on the couch, mad that he'd left his book upstairs. There was no chance of him going up to retrieve it. He refused to speak to her for the rest of the night, instead choosing to sleep as long as he could - the more time he spent unconscious, the better.

Hermione returned to the library, to her spot in the corner where so was comfortable before Draco interrupted her. Picking up her book, she began reading, but found herself to frustrated to do so. Balling herself up once more, she pulled her knees to her chest and rested her head on them.

Draco lay staring at the ceiling, where he knew Hermione sat directly above him. He tried hard to think of what insane thought had possessed him and made him run away. He thought of his parents, and the pain that both of them were surely enduring now because of him. He thought of his family, and how he could never come home now that he was considered a traitor. Most of all, he thought about the hopeless situation he now found himself in, and whether it was that much more hopeless than the past years of his life put together.

Eventually, Hermione became uncomfortable. Standing to her feet, she walked over to the bookshelf and searched the titles for anything that sounded remotely like a cooking book. Once she found one, she grabbed it and headed for the bedroom. Throwing the book on her night stand, she crawled into the bed, trying to get a few more hours of sleep.


End file.
